Blues coach shares very interesting concern he had going into series versus Preds

The intensity between teams in an NHL playoff game is unmatched.

As much respect as the players have for each other once the series is over, the hatred during the series is very real as every player wants nothing more than to do anything to help their team win a Stanley Cup.

The new playoff format also feeds into the hate as the same teams seem to face each other every year.  The hate, however, was a concern of Blues coach Mike Yeo heading into St. Louis' series with Nashville, as he explained ahead of Game 4.

Forget strategic concerns, Yeo was worried about if his team hated the Predators, and that goes to show hockey fans that the hate is real, regardless of how much respect players have for each other.

Based on the numbers of hits this series compared to the season series between the two teams and the rough stuff in between the whistles, it's safe to say Yeo's right in regards to they're over the not whole "not hating Nashville."

(H/T: /r/hockey)